Knicks' supporting cast has been just as important in 3-0 series lead over the Celtics

View full sizePoint guard Raymond Felton has given the Knicks a quality third option as they've taken full control of their first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics. CJ Gunther Corbis/EPA

Carmelo Anthony has barely broken a sweat, averaging 33 points per game, and J.R. Smith has done his own fair share of damage – throwing elbows, notwithstanding – but they wouldn’t be ahead of the Boston Celtics, 3-0, without the presence of their supporting cast.

Guys like Pablo Prigioni, Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, Jason Kidd, and Kenyon Martin all have their fingerprints on this series.

Felton, in particular, has had a great series, as he’s risen to be the Knicks’ third option in the offense. The point guard has had a large hand in making the undermanned Celtics’ backcourt obsolete as he had 15 points and 10 assists in the Knicks' 14-point win in Game 3, Friday night. Felton was so effective in that game that he was a plus-12 when on the floor. And overall for the series, his impact has been felt because entering Game 3, the Knicks outscored the Celtics by an average of 22.8 points per 48 minutes with Felton on the floor, but were outscored by 45.1 points per 48 minutes when he wasn't out there.

Begley continued, adding that Felton should feel vindicated, especially as his predecessor, Jeremy Lin, is struggling in his playoff series.

Begley:

“The playoffs have been an exclamation point on a strong regular season for Felton. He came to New York in a sign-and-trade after a down year in Portland in which he was skewered for being out of shape. He also came here to replace Jeremy Lin, a fan favorite who left for Houston over the summer after the Knicks declined to match his contract offer from the Rockets. So Felton was greeted with a tepid response and a dose of skepticism when he first showed up for his second stint with the Knicks. But eight months later, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone upset over the Felton-Lin swap. Lin is struggling through his first postseason series with the Rockets (5.5 points, 3.5 assists, three turnovers in two games against the Thunder) and Felton is thriving for New York with a 14.5-point, six-assist average in the first round.”

Zwerling:
“Game 3 is just hours in the books, the Knicks comfortably up 3-0, but Pablo Prigioni is still putting in work. Back at the team hotel, the Knicks starting point guard isn't laying low. He's working with Dave Hancock, the team's director of training and conditioning, to make sure his right ankle, which was recently sprained, feels even better. Mind you, on Friday night, Prigioni played 30 minutes, and he had one of his best games as a Knick, finishing with nine points (three 3-pointers) and a career-high five steals. Prigioni's relentlessness defines him. Off the court, he keeps to a strict diet and gets at least eight hours of sleep every night. He brought that determination to his ankle recovery, going beyond most players' routines. How he was able to quickly bounce back, missing only Game 1, surprised some of his teammates, including Steve Novak.”

“But Shumpert, Pablo Prigioni and the rest of these thieving Knicks won’t soon be forgotten in Boston after their 14-steal show of hands — young (Shumpert) and old (Prigioni) alike — put a 3-0 chokehold on their first-round Eastern Conference series and may have strangled Boston’s cherished Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce era into submission. In what was supposed to be an impassioned show of Boston pride, the Celtics were booed at halftime Friday night and their coach, Doc Rivers, admitted his team lost its spirit on the way to a 90-76 defeat at TD Garden. It happens when the opposing defense is suffocating to the extent that, as Shumpert said, “they start to second-guess themselves, and that’s what we want.” … Rajon Rondo’s absence has made the Celtics offense look pointless, without a playmaker, especially compared with a Knicks team often deploying two, in addition to the at-times-unstoppable Anthony. It has put Pierce and others in vulnerable positions while they try to create what they were used to having Rondo do for them. But watching Shumpert almost surgically attach himself to Pierce on Friday night, and making the proud veteran look much older than 35, provided the most encouraging projection for those daring to dream of the Knicks’ upending Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. … Jason Kidd, whose 40-year-old mitts have been ubiquitously wreaking havoc, blocked a shot by the 6-foot-9 Jeff Green in the first half Friday night and kept him out of the lane with positioning and upper-body strength. He said preparation and increased basketball I.Q. had much to do with the Knicks’ being poised to reverse the Celtics’ first-round sweep of them of two years ago — as good a reason for the Knicks’ signing him as any.”

Should the Knicks do what is seemingly the inevitable and end the Celtics’ season, it’ll likely be because of the wonderful talents of Anthony. But Knicks’ fans would be remiss to not give credit and show appreciation towards Anthony’s able and willing supporting cast.